New Scorecard launches: NSW’s solar future at stake in weekend poll

Solar Citizens have launched their 2015 NSW Election Solar Scorecard, so when the people of NSW head to the polls on Saturday they are able to “Vote 1 Sun”.

“Our Solar Scorecard lays out the key solar policy positions of the major parties, so that voters are able to make an informed choice this Saturday,” said Solar Citizens National Director Claire O’Rourke.

“The Greens and The Christian Democratic party showed the strongest commitment to supporting solar in the next term of government. Labor also submitted a positive plan in response to the solar policy questions we put to them.

“While the Liberal Party stated their commitment to a solar future in NSW, their responses to our questions lacked the policy detail to back that up. They refused to commit to a fair price for solar fed into the grid and did not rule out discriminatory fees for solar homeowners.”

“By not giving concrete commitments to protect and grow solar Liberal Party leader, Mike Baird, has missed a golden opportunity to help people take control of rising power bills.”

“There are currently almost 300,000 solar households in NSW - all parties would do well to remember this.”

“NSW can take a leading role in the solar revolution, but only if its political leaders listen to the majority of the voters who want a solar future.”

“Solar Citizens urges all candidates contesting the NSW election to put the support of households who want to benefit from solar front and centre in the final days before the poll.”

Claire O’Rourke is available for comment

Media contact: Amy Gordon 0410 631 404

Solar Citizens NSW election six policy asks:

1. NO DISCRIMINATORY SOLAR FEES

Does your party guarantee to prevent fees and charges which discriminate against solar owners and people installing storage systems?

2. A FAIR PRICE FOR SOLAR FED INTO THE GRID

There is currently no regulated minimum price that NSW solar owners are paid for the electricity produced by their solar system, fed into the grid and on-sold by their retailer. Individual solar households have little power to negotiate with retailers and many more solar households will be in this position after the Solar Bonus Scheme wraps up in 2016.

Does your party commit to setting a regulated minimum retailer-paid feed-in tariff, set at a fair level for consumers who generate power and feed it back into our state’s energy supply?

3. REVERSE AUCTION TO BOOST COMMUNITY & LARGE-SCALE SOLAR

Will your party commit to launching a reverse auction process to support community and large-scale solar projects (similar to the scheme that has proven so successful in the ACT*) to allow people who cannot put solar on their own rooftop to benefit from the renewable energy revolution?

4.TRIAL SOLAR STORAGE - THE WAY OF THE FUTURE

Does your party commit to launching a trial of solar with storage - the next big thing - at a household level (in 1,000 NSW homes) and also at a neighbourhood level to test innovation of technology and business models that will allow solar to run day and night and help maintain our state’s energy supply?

5. ENSURE A SMARTER NSW POWER GRID

Does your party commit to ensure networks will take the necessary measures to accommodate more solar in the grid in the future, enable innovative elements like virtual net metering and peer-to-peer solar energy trading and other aspects of a smarter, decentralised grid?

6. STAND UP FOR NSW SOLAR JOBS – PROTECT THE RET

Will your party call on the Federal Government to drop its attempt to slash the 41,000 GWh national Renewable Energy Target, that supports thousands of NSW solar jobs, helps with the price of installation and lowers the wholesale price of power for all consumers, and instead to advocate for the expansion of the Target to at least 50% by 2030?